Bree is a searing, uptight perfectionist. Her strong resolve and proper demeanor have caused tension in her marriage and home-life. As a mother of two teenagers, her icy cool nerves were often tested. She struggled to rein in her rebellious, and at times soulless son, Andrew, and fought to give her self-absorbed daughter, Danielle, a proper perspective on life.

During a routine meeting with the neighborhood call-girl, her husband Rex suffered a heart attack, thus shining a light on his dark secrets. Bree reluctantly cared for him during his recovery after her children's insistence. The marriage was further troubled when she began dating the local pharmacist, George Williams, much to her husband's dismay. Rex took matters into his own hands when he went to ward off George, only inciting his jealousy which led George to begin tampering with Rex's heart medication. Bree was eventually widowed when, after months of poisoning by their pharmacist, Rex's heart gave way.

Despite all this, her "perfect housewife" routine remained nearly unshaken during the past year. She was able to keep up appearances at the country club, find time to bake muffins for her incarcerated arch nemesis, Maisy Gibbons and somehow maintain her perfectly quaffed flip.